Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-02-11
Communicated
WAvERLY, Mo, Jan. 3, lSs7,
EDITOR HERALD :

EDITOR HERALD
Dear sir For lack Of something more
substantial send yon a few lines from
"Nissouri State" which might interest
some of the readers of your valuable pa
per. if you can find room Tor it without
dispIacing more interesting matter.
wrote you a short letter last Spring
when Nature was just shaking of her
wintry apparel ; when bursting buds and
unfolding flowers began to laden the air
with their sweet perfume and to reveal
the beauties stored within when the
merry songsters returning from the "sun-
ny South sounded again their greeting,
and the tiny blades of grass grew green,
again, on mount and hill and plain, and
finally, when the waste baskets Of We Edi-
tors were filed with poems on the
"Sprng"
1t was my intention to send you anoth-
er letter in the autumn, when the harvests
had been gathered and the golden days
told us that another summer of happiness
OF misery of success or withered hopes
was fast fading away, but the leaves have
long since fallen in the valleys the rush
ing rivers and struggling brooks are hid
by bands Of ice and the year 1886, with its
pleasant and bitter memories, has been
placed on the hOnOred shelves of Time IN
the great Library of the Past.
1t is no small pleasure to those, who Of
necessity, or voluntarily, exile themselves
from their native home to receive a week
ly message, telling of the happenings To-
cal and general of the business Of the
establishing of new institutions and the
steady growth Of older ones the seeming
ly settled purpose of the people to adhere
to the settlement of the State debt on the
terms set forth in the Riddleberger bill (;
the progressive spirit with which her pee
pie seem to be imbued in developing the
resources of the State tidiDgs like this
cause a thrill of pleasure to her SONS,
whether they be living in the shadow Of
her lofty mountains; on the banks of her
musical rivers or on the virgin soil of some
PARKWAY state or country,
Breathes there man with soul so dead.
Who, never to himself, hath said A:
This Is my own, my native land ~
The Missouri river * the chief attrac-
ton here in winter "a in summer. No
stately steamer plows her muddy waves,
but she is spanned by bridge of ice suf-
ficiently strong for heavily loaded wagons
10 cross. and the citizens of our town filed
their ice-houses with river ice, which is
the best obtainable here.
We have had numerous snow storms
but Of short duration. and independent OF
one or two cold snaps, Thermometer regis
tering from II to 10 degrees below zero
we have had a very moderate winter SC
far,
Just opposite our town, on sand-bsr,
company of men have been engaged M
digging out steamboat which sunk be-
fore the war and supposed to contain a
valuable cargo Of whiskey, queenswSre
saw mills, etc, but the rainy season hav
ing, apparently, thus early set in, and fear
ing the ice would break mp, they removed
their engines, &C., after two months work
and being in sight Of the boat.
As spring approaches talk of going West
is resumed, and several outfits will wend
their way from our town to Kansas tC
preempt homesteads, or buy, as clrcum
stances will permit.
Our railroads are like the young mani
mustachs, "they may be coming but they
haven't arrived yet"
Wishing all my friends and acquaint
ances happy and prosperous New Year
bid you good bye
Respectfully, j. E. BoEHM.